Post by citizenmike on May 10, 2009 8:37:33 GMT -5
Johnny pulled the cigarette away from his lips as he turned towards the open window; wet clothes hung over the curtain. Johnny chuckled, first thing they did as soon as they hit the room was strip and wash their clothes... Amazing how comfortable they were around each other... A feeling that bubbled for weeks only to unravel itself in the most subtle way...
Johnny missed music.
Before coming up, Johnny got the guitar he had stored in the front desk. Lucky he was that he never got into the Penthouse with Veronica, if he had, he would have lost his guitar when Myzrael took the room.
Johnny dragged the arm and the ottoman close to the window before reaching for the guitar.
Resting on the chair with the guitar over him, Johnny turned to bed where Veronica slept. In his mind's eye, he could see himself beneath the sheets, curled up beside her.
Maybe he could rest... For the first time in years.
Johnny began strumming the guitar. Didn't know what to play... Reckoned he would just let his fingers lead him somewhere.
Johnny found a pattern in his strumming to similar tune.
"There's a light, when my baby's in arm... There's a light, when the window shades are drawn... Hesitate when I feel I may do harm to her... Wash it off, this feelin' we can share... And I know she's reached my heart... In thin air..."
Johnny stopped.
Pearl Jam, "Thin Air"... He couldn't place where he heard it last, but he knew its been ages since.
Johnny continued strumming as Veronica rose from the sheet.
Looking back towards the bed, Johnny stopped and said, "I'm sorry if I woke you. I'll stop."
"Don't.", Veronica replied as she drew her back against the headboard. "I couldn't sleep, and its been quite awhile since I first heard music. Go on, Johnny."
"You sure?"
"Yes.", Veronica replied nodding.
Johnny reached for his cigarette and took a quick drag.
"What song were you singing?", Veronica asked.
"'Thin Air', by Pearl Jam."
"Sing to me.", Veronica said as she tapped on the matress.
Johnny motioned himself to the bed and asked, "What would you like me to sing?"
"Finish that one. Its nice."
"Come on, Roth.", Johnny said quickly as he sat beside Veronica. "There has to be something you want to hear!"
Veronica turned her head and smiled, "I really can't seem to think of anything right now."
Johnny handed his guitar to Veronica.
"What?"
"Play something."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"I'm not musically inclined."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I can't play anything."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Care if I show you a little something."
"By all means, Johnny. Please."
Johnny put the guitar between himself and Veronica before moving his arm over her. "Hold the neck."
Veronica placed her hand over the guitar neck and said, "Now what?"
Johnny took Veronica's hand and placed her fingers over the fret.
"This is a G Chord. Now strum."
Veronica ran her fingers over the string.
Johnny kissed her on the forehead and said, "See? Now, you're playing."
Johnny took Veronica's fingers again and positioned it again over the fret. "Now this, this is a C Chord."
Veronica strummed. "Now what?"
"Just strum those two chords and see where it takes you."
Veronica began playing the guitar, but found it hard to switch between chords; stopping her strumming to get her fingers right. "This is harder than it seems."
"Trust me, you'll get the hang of it. Don't pay attention to this hand," Johnny said as he took the her hand of the fret, "What you want to concentrate on is your strumming."
Johnny saw a pattern to how she held the gun and the guitar, she always held it by the left-hand first. She's a lefty... Amazing how he was slowly learning new things about her.
Veronica continued playing and began strumming out a small melody. "I'm playing!"
"Now what does it sound like?", Johnny asked.
"Mazzy Star!"
"What?"
"Mazzy Star, this band I used to in college."
Johnny smiled and said, "Start singing."
"I can't.", Veronica shot back, laughing at probable embarrassment.
"Its only me, Roth."
"And that's what I'm afraid off."
"Why?"
Veronica stopped strumming and turned to Johnny. "Because..."
"Yeah?"
Veronica shook her head away and said, "I don't know."
"If it helps, I have more to fear from you than you do of me."
"How is that possible?", Veronica asked as she turned to Johnny again.
"Because when you left us at the school something happened."
"What?"
"Chains and Trace broke me down and made me remember something about my past." Johnny turned away from her and looked at the ottoman where his cigarette burnt away in an ashtray. Man, he was wishin' he could just reach out and grab it. But, he didn't want to leave. Johnny shurgged, "I'm not a good person, Roth. I was a killer."
"You killed people?", Veronica asked; Johnny hearing the change in her tone.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Simple, and I'm gonna sound like a fanatic by saying this, but I killed people because it was what I was born to do."
"Did you know the people you killed?"
"Not that I can recall, no."
Johnny motioned off the bed and walked back over to the window, took his clothes from the hanger, slipped them on, and motioned towards the door.
"Where are you going?"
"I don't know."
"Then, why are you leaving?"
"Because I don't expect you to come to terms of the gravity of who I am."
Veronica motioned off the bed and took Johnny by the hand, "Do you remember what I told you back at airport?"
"Yeah, I do."
"I told you that I don't care. Whatever you did before means nothing to me."
"Why?"
"Because I know you for who you are now and that's how I know you."
Johnny turned away.
Veronica placed her hand on his cheek, "You have to see that what I see is who you are."
Johnny turned back to her and took her hand, "Roth, I killed people. I liked it and there's probably small part of me that still does. The man you see before you is a cold blooded natural born killer."
Veronica hugged Johnny and murmured, "Its ok."
Johnny held her in his arms and said, "I'm not gonna hurt you, Roth."
Johnny missed music.
Before coming up, Johnny got the guitar he had stored in the front desk. Lucky he was that he never got into the Penthouse with Veronica, if he had, he would have lost his guitar when Myzrael took the room.
Johnny dragged the arm and the ottoman close to the window before reaching for the guitar.
Resting on the chair with the guitar over him, Johnny turned to bed where Veronica slept. In his mind's eye, he could see himself beneath the sheets, curled up beside her.
Maybe he could rest... For the first time in years.
Johnny began strumming the guitar. Didn't know what to play... Reckoned he would just let his fingers lead him somewhere.
Johnny found a pattern in his strumming to similar tune.
"There's a light, when my baby's in arm... There's a light, when the window shades are drawn... Hesitate when I feel I may do harm to her... Wash it off, this feelin' we can share... And I know she's reached my heart... In thin air..."
Johnny stopped.
Pearl Jam, "Thin Air"... He couldn't place where he heard it last, but he knew its been ages since.
Johnny continued strumming as Veronica rose from the sheet.
Looking back towards the bed, Johnny stopped and said, "I'm sorry if I woke you. I'll stop."
"Don't.", Veronica replied as she drew her back against the headboard. "I couldn't sleep, and its been quite awhile since I first heard music. Go on, Johnny."
"You sure?"
"Yes.", Veronica replied nodding.
Johnny reached for his cigarette and took a quick drag.
"What song were you singing?", Veronica asked.
"'Thin Air', by Pearl Jam."
"Sing to me.", Veronica said as she tapped on the matress.
Johnny motioned himself to the bed and asked, "What would you like me to sing?"
"Finish that one. Its nice."
"Come on, Roth.", Johnny said quickly as he sat beside Veronica. "There has to be something you want to hear!"
Veronica turned her head and smiled, "I really can't seem to think of anything right now."
Johnny handed his guitar to Veronica.
"What?"
"Play something."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"I'm not musically inclined."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I can't play anything."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Care if I show you a little something."
"By all means, Johnny. Please."
Johnny put the guitar between himself and Veronica before moving his arm over her. "Hold the neck."
Veronica placed her hand over the guitar neck and said, "Now what?"
Johnny took Veronica's hand and placed her fingers over the fret.
"This is a G Chord. Now strum."
Veronica ran her fingers over the string.
Johnny kissed her on the forehead and said, "See? Now, you're playing."
Johnny took Veronica's fingers again and positioned it again over the fret. "Now this, this is a C Chord."
Veronica strummed. "Now what?"
"Just strum those two chords and see where it takes you."
Veronica began playing the guitar, but found it hard to switch between chords; stopping her strumming to get her fingers right. "This is harder than it seems."
"Trust me, you'll get the hang of it. Don't pay attention to this hand," Johnny said as he took the her hand of the fret, "What you want to concentrate on is your strumming."
Johnny saw a pattern to how she held the gun and the guitar, she always held it by the left-hand first. She's a lefty... Amazing how he was slowly learning new things about her.
Veronica continued playing and began strumming out a small melody. "I'm playing!"
"Now what does it sound like?", Johnny asked.
"Mazzy Star!"
"What?"
"Mazzy Star, this band I used to in college."
Johnny smiled and said, "Start singing."
"I can't.", Veronica shot back, laughing at probable embarrassment.
"Its only me, Roth."
"And that's what I'm afraid off."
"Why?"
Veronica stopped strumming and turned to Johnny. "Because..."
"Yeah?"
Veronica shook her head away and said, "I don't know."
"If it helps, I have more to fear from you than you do of me."
"How is that possible?", Veronica asked as she turned to Johnny again.
"Because when you left us at the school something happened."
"What?"
"Chains and Trace broke me down and made me remember something about my past." Johnny turned away from her and looked at the ottoman where his cigarette burnt away in an ashtray. Man, he was wishin' he could just reach out and grab it. But, he didn't want to leave. Johnny shurgged, "I'm not a good person, Roth. I was a killer."
"You killed people?", Veronica asked; Johnny hearing the change in her tone.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Simple, and I'm gonna sound like a fanatic by saying this, but I killed people because it was what I was born to do."
"Did you know the people you killed?"
"Not that I can recall, no."
Johnny motioned off the bed and walked back over to the window, took his clothes from the hanger, slipped them on, and motioned towards the door.
"Where are you going?"
"I don't know."
"Then, why are you leaving?"
"Because I don't expect you to come to terms of the gravity of who I am."
Veronica motioned off the bed and took Johnny by the hand, "Do you remember what I told you back at airport?"
"Yeah, I do."
"I told you that I don't care. Whatever you did before means nothing to me."
"Why?"
"Because I know you for who you are now and that's how I know you."
Johnny turned away.
Veronica placed her hand on his cheek, "You have to see that what I see is who you are."
Johnny turned back to her and took her hand, "Roth, I killed people. I liked it and there's probably small part of me that still does. The man you see before you is a cold blooded natural born killer."
Veronica hugged Johnny and murmured, "Its ok."
Johnny held her in his arms and said, "I'm not gonna hurt you, Roth."